I’d never have guessed that they were married [closed]

Consider these sentences, please:

  1. Looking at her now you’d never guess she had been so upset.

Can I use "has been" or "was" in place of "had been" in the sentence above?

  1. I’d never have guessed that they were married.

Are they still married or is the sentence talking about them being married in the past? Can I use "had been" in place of "were" in sentence 2)?


The subject of sentence 1. has been upset in the recent past but is not upset at the time of writing.

Sentence 2. would be understood to mean that the couple are currently married. Using had been would require something more.

I'd never have guessed that they had been married for so long.

Or, if they are no longer married:

I'd never have guessed that they had once been married.